The Perpetual NBA Thread

**mazdamazda** · March 29th, 2006 09:10 AM

btw... did you guys see the haslem-jermaine foul yesterday?

sobrang out of line si haslem... since siya na ang nangipit kay jermaine.

ang nakakatawa... nung pinipigilan ni shaq si jermaine... hehehe... dinakma/sakal nya si jermaine. hehehe...

**ILuvDetailing** · March 29th, 2006 11:42 AM

Yup I saw that, medyo nag over react si Udonis whether it was scripted to bait Jermaine into a tech I don't know

, but Jermaine had his arm caught under Udonis' forarm and he wouldn't let go. I love this stuff playoffs are near and players are getting testy brings back memories of the Miami - NY series. Shaq was assessed a Flagrant on Scot Pollard, next flagrant foul will result in a suspension, the league will review the "choke" hold by Shaq.

**ILuvDetailing** · March 29th, 2006 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by mazdamazda

how I wish kami ni ILD ang magkamatch this week!

Don't worry, with or without Amare, I'll be ready for my matchup next week

**BlueBimmer** · March 29th, 2006 11:49 AM

woohooo into the 4th quarter and Charlie Bell is close to a tripledouble, not to mention 5 treys! yahooo for my ebnc league!

**ILuvDetailing** · March 29th, 2006 11:52 AM

That was a nice pickup Bimbim, I have him in my tsikot team

go Bucks!

**mazdamazda** · March 29th, 2006 12:07 PM

darn... ngayon pa na injure ulit si tj ford! argghhhhhhhhhh!

**kimpOy** · March 30th, 2006 10:14 AM

hahaha ogags talaga sayang yung 21M extension...

Searching for Sprewell: An encounter, but no answers
Chris Sheridan

RIVER HILLS, Wis. -- Latrell Sprewell answered his front door with his face contorted into his unmistakable scowl, his anger barely under control as he made it clear he was not accepting visitors and was in no mood to talk.

"Get off my property right now or I'll send someone out there to take your head off!"

So ended the briefest of encounters early Sunday afternoon a few miles north of downtown Milwaukee, the biggest mystery of the NBA season no closer to being explained by the only person who has any of the answers.

Inside the sprawling yellow brick home with the massive wooden jungle gym in the backyard resides the best basketball player in the world without a job, an athlete who could help some team win an NBA championship three months from now if it could just get a reading on whether he's willing and/or able to set aside his shame and lace 'em up for the first time since the Minnesota Timberwolves played their final game last season.

Not a single word has been spoken publicly in almost a year by Sprewell, whose agent heard from the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks earlier in March, each of the Western Conference's top teams making inquiries about the former All-Star whose mercurial ways have made him one of the most controversial players of the past decade.

Seeking some answers, ESPN.com reached out to Sprewell through his agent and his publicist, as well as through voice mails on his cell phone, before resorting to the oldest reporting technique in the book -- showing up on his doorstep in the hopes that the sight of a familiar face from his days in New York might coax him into providing some sort of insight into whether he's considering a return to the NBA before this season ends.

Under collective bargaining rules, Sprewell can sign with any playoff-bound team up until the last day of the season and still be eligible for the postseason. (Players who already were on NBA rosters but who were waived in-season must have been waived by March 1 to be playoff-eligible.)

That rule was brought to Sprewell's attention by the NBA players union last week, but what -- if anything -- he plans to do with that knowledge is unknown.

The deep thump-thump-thump of a woofer-fueled bass line was causing the windows in Sprewell's front foyer to shimmer as he answered his door on the third ring wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and sweat pants. His order to skedaddle was heeded without hesitation or argument.

Latrell Sprewell
Free agent guard
Sprewell's player card

2004-05 SEASON STATISTICS
G MIN REB AST PTS
80 30.6 3.2 2.2 12.8
"Watch out for the dogs," a Bucks scout had warned.

But judging by Sprewell's demeanor and his growl, the biggest threat to life and limb was standing on two legs, not four. Good luck to the next Jehovah's Witness who tries to engage him in a friendly discussion of the Bible.

"I have no idea what's driving Latrell. I can't figure it out, and he doesn't articulate what he's thinking," said Robert Gist, Sprewell's longtime agent.

The Mavericks called about two weeks ago when they were dealing with a flurry of injuries.

"He said he would call back the next day. He never did. So we dropped the idea," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said via e-mail.

The Spurs also put in a call to Gist's office about a month ago, though nothing came of it.

"These teams recognize Latrell's value, and they've gone to their top players to ask them whether Spree would be a good fit," Gist said.

Sprewell made $14.6 million last season in the final year of a contract he signed after rehabilitating while with the New York Knicks. Sprewell led the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals after serving a 70-game suspension for his attack on former Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo early in the 1997-98 season.

After turning down a three-year $21-million extension from the Timberwolves, explaining he had "a family to feed," Sprewell went unsigned last summer as an unrestricted free agent.

According to Gist, Sprewell made the mistake of waiting on the Los Angeles Lakers at a time when the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers all were expressing interest in signing him. But the Timberwolves and Lakers were unable to agree on a sign-and-trade deal that would satisfy both teams, and then other teams turned to other free agents. So by the time training camps started, Sprewell's only choice was to play for the veteran's minimum, which he feels is beneath him.

"It may have been the transition, going from making $14.6 million to $1 million because the rules say you're only worth this much. Making that adjustment probably took some time," said Gist, who believes Sprewell's pride -- and his hesitance to subject himself to public second-guessing over his "family to feed" quote -- is part of what's keeping Sprewell from returning to the NBA.

**baiskee** · March 30th, 2006 11:18 AM

sayang din tong si predator.

parang isiah rider...laki ng topak sa ulo.

**chain** · March 30th, 2006 11:40 AM

I still remember the time when I watched Spree play while he was still in Golden State. sabay ata sila ni Webber. Ang galing nya nun. kumukuha ng alley-oop sa halfcourt and watching that live just made my jaw drop.

pucha, mas matangkad pa ako kay Keith Jennings eh!